The catamenial tampon is a compressed cotton or other fibrous material that may be contained in a paper tube, plastic tube or mounted on a stick prior to use. With a paper tube or plastic tube tampon, the applicator normally has an inner and outer tube, with the inner tube being utilized to eject the tampon into the vagina from the outer tube. It is necessary that the paper tubes be formed stiff and strong enough for insertion and injection of the tampons into the vagina. However, when stiff, strong tubes of adhesively wrapped paper are disposed of in a toilet, the tubes will not rapidly disintegrate and are difficult to flush. As they ar difficult to flush, it may lead to jamming of the pipes of the plumbing system.
It has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,005 to Lewing that a wetting agent be added to the tube to aid in the disintegration of the tube. The addition of wetting agent is also proposed in United Kingdom Pat. No. 1,049,894 to Robinson and Sons Limited, where the combination of a nonionic wetting agent and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide is proposed. It is also known to load the paper tubes with a mineral filler, such as calcium carbonate, to aid in the sinking of the tube into the toilet for better wetting. The formation of paper tubes may be carried out either with the formation of spiral-wound tubes, such as generally shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,275 to Biggs, Jr., et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,543 to Cunningham. Also, it is known that tampon tubes may be formed by convolutely winding tubes such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,459 to Sheldon and U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,967 Sheldon.
However, there remains a need for a more rapidly disintegrating tube. There particularly remains a need for a tube that may be convolutely wound, is strong, low in cost and rapidly disintegrates.